The small settlement of Tahāroa is on the west coast of Waikato, not far from Kawhia Harbour.

Despite an estimated population of 200, the current Warriors team includes two local boys – Te Maire Martin and Taine Tuaupiki.

“There’s only one shop,” the pair joked about their hometown. “That’s all we got.”

There may be little on the retail front but Tahāroa has picturesque views and is a great spot for fishing, surfing and hunting.

Taine Tuaupiki as a Burleigh Bear. Photo / Supplied

“All the cuzzies know I’m a townie,” Tuaupiki confesses. “Hurts to say.”

Martin and Tuaupiki are not the only athletes that Tahāroa has produced. The Willison whānau including gold medalist Seven’s player Tenika Willison, her cousin Waikato rugby player Jackson Willison and Brisbane Bronco Xavier Willison are also from Tahāroa. Locals could also claim rugby legend Dr Farah Palmer, whose koro is from there.

The pair admit that although they were not raised together, they were always told by their relatives that there was a whānau connection.

 “To be honest, I didn’t know the bro’ too well,” said Tuaupiki, “until he moved over to the Gold Coast and Auntie Paula told me ‘that’s your cousin.’”

 “Taine’s aunty and uncle actually took me in when I went over to Australia,” recalls Martin. “I got a head knock one game there and they took me in and lucky I had them, because they looked after me for the whole week. From then on I ended up living with them.”

Taine Tuaupiki made his debut for the Warriors against the North Queensland Cowboys two weeks ago. In 2022, the full-back was the recipient of the Petro Civoniceva medal, given to the player voted as the Best and Fairest over the season for the Queensland Cup – an award previously won by the likes of Greg Inglis, Cody Walker and Daly Cherry-Evans.

Te Maire Martin recalls a phone call that Warriors coach Andrew Webster made to him regarding Taine.

“He rang up asking about Taine, ‘what do you think of him. Do you know him?’ I said, ‘yeah he’s one of the cousins from back home’. Webby was real keen to bring him on board and just from the stuff I’d seen off the highlights, I could tell how much of a good player he was. He’s not the biggest player but he puts his body on the line.”

The opportunity to make his NRL debut early in the season was a dream come true for Tuaupiki.

“If I had to narrow it down to my two halves being Shaun Johnson and Te Maire, playing with my cousin and playing with someone that you looked up to when you were a young kid, I probably couldn’t pick two better halves to debut with.

The Warriors season is looking promising after one of the great upsets on the weekend when the Warriors, down 20-0, came from behind to defeat a strong Sharks team in Cronulla. Might we see the Warriors perform a haka in the grand final if they make it?

“There hasn’t been much chat about it,” ponders Tuaupiki. “But we’ve got enough Māori.”

His whanaunga sounded optimistic.

“I reckon when we make the Grand Final, we will probably do one.”

Watch Hikurangi Jackson’s full interview with Te Maire Martin and Taine Tuaupiki in the above link. Te Ao with Moana screens on Whakaata Māori every Monday at 8pm. Go to On Demand for more stories.